Current and tidal-current motor



Aug" 26 1924. 1506.395

J- TYDINGS cumum AND TIDAL curmammoron Original Filed Nov. 15, 1921 2Sheets-Sheet. 1

IIVVZW'TOR d1); ZaZIJ ya Patented Aug. 26, 1924:.

UNITED STATES JOHN TYDINGS, OF SMITHVILLE FLATS, NEW YORK.

CUR-RENT AND TIDAL CURRENT MOTOR.

Original application filed November 15, 1921, Serial No. 515,329.Divided and this application filed February 16, 1922.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN TYDINGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Smithville Flats, in the county of Chenango and State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Current andTidal-Current Motors, which is a division of my application bearingSerial Number 515,329, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in current and tidalcurrent motors, which is a division of my application for Letters Patentfor an apparatus to mechanically harness, store and transmit power,bearing Serial Number 515,329, dated November 15, 1921, and has for itsobject to provide a device of this character which will provide power tobe mechanically stored and transmitted by means of the apparatus setforth in the above mentioned application of which this is a division.

Another object'of the invention is to provide a motor of the classstated for use in streams, rivers and the like Whether having a tide ornot so that the power produced by the movements of the water may betrans formed to a mechanical power and stored for future use.

WVith these ends in view, this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains, may under stand how to make and use the same, I willdescribe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which Fig.1, is a plan view of a current motor particularly adapted for use intidal rivers or other streams.

Fig. 2, is a side elevation thereof with a portion of the near sidepontoon and a part of the water wheel broken away.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged sectional view at the line 33 of Fig. 2, some ofthe gear wheels and portions of others being shown in elevation.

Fig. 4, is a fragmentary end view of that portion of the apparatus shownin Fig. 3.

Fig. 5, is an elevation of the opposite end Serial No. 536,908.

thereof with portions broken away to clearly illustrate theconstruction.

In carrying out my invention as shown in Figs. 1 to inclusive, I utilizepontoons 2 preferably two in number, spaced apart in parallelism withboth ends pointed after the manner of a bow of a ship so that thecurrent of water will be guided betweenpontoons and caused to flowthrouglr the restricted space between said pontoons at which point thepaddle wheel 3 is located and the blades of this paddle wheel are arranged on radial lines as plainly shown in Fig. 2 and said paddle wheelwhen in use is only partially submerged for obtaining the best results.The submergence of the paddle wheel is controlled by the buoyancy of thepontoons and these pontoons may be of buoyant material orconstructedwith air chambers or to hold air cylinders.

To each of these pontoons is connected a pair of reach rods 4 which inturn are journalled upon the bosses 5 formed with the bearings 6 thelatter being mounted upon any suitable foundation such as for instancemasonry piers, as shown by dotted lines in Fig 2. The reach rods 4support suitable bearings 7 in which are journalled the shafts 8 eachhaving fixed on one end a gear 9 meshing with a pinion 10 fixed to theshaft 11 of the water wheel, while on the opposite end of each of saidshafts 8 is fixed a worm 12 meshing with a worm gear 13 rotating about ashaft 14 which is journalled in the bearings 6. The worm gear 13 isprovided with a pawl 15 or its equivalent which is adapted to engage aratchet 16 for rotating the shaft 14 on which is fixed a gear 17 meshingwith a right hand gear 18. The worm gear 13 is provided with a hub 19carrying a pawl 20 or its equivalent arranged to operate in a directionopposite to the pawl 17 and said pawl 20 coacts with a ratchet 21connected with a gear 22 which is fixed on the shaft 14, said gearmeshing with a left hand gear 23. Each of the gears 18 and 23 aremounted on suitable short shafts 24 and 25 and are each ratcheted toanother gear whereby an intermediate gear 26 may be always rotated inthe same direction and this gear is mounted upon a shaft 27 by which thecreated power is transmitted to the apparatus for storing the same. 7One means of providing a ratchet connection between the gear 13 andanother gear on the same shaftwhich meshes with the gear 26 willbehereinafter described and as the means used with both gears 20 and 23is identical, with the exception that the ratchet pawls are reversed,only one will be described. hen the gear 23 is being revolved in thedirection of the arrow thereon in Fig. 3, the pawl 28' carried by thehub of said gear will engage the ratchet wheel 29 and rotate it in thesame direction and as this ratchet is connected with the gear 80 on theshaft 25 said gear will rotate in the same direction to revolve the gear26 with which it meshes in the direction of. the arrow on said ear andthereby transmit motion to the mam portion of the apparatus through theshaft 7, but if the power is being transmitted from the worm 12- to theright hand gear 18 a similar ratchet mechanism inthe reverse directionwill transmit motion to the gear. 26 and cause it to revolve in the samedirection as denoted by the arrow'thereon, while at the same time thegear 30 will revolve freely upon the shaft 25 permitting said shaft andthe gear 23 to remain stationary.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when the paddlewheel 3 is revolving in one direction, as for instance, when the tide isrunning out power Will be transmit-ted to the shaft 27 through one trainof gears whereas when the tide is moving in the other direction orrunning in power will be transmitted to the shaft 27 through the othertrain of gears.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact detailsofconstruction as herein shown as these may be varied within the limitsof the appended claimswithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

'Havingthus fully described my inven tion, what I claim asnew and usefulis 1. In a device of the character stated, a current motor for derivingpower from the current of a tidal stream including pontoons, a paddlewheel having radial blades located between said pontoons, a shaft 011which said paddle wheel is mounted journalled in suitable bearings onsaid pontoons, a worm on each end of said shaft, bearings located at adistance fromsaid pontoons, said bearings having bosses thereon, reachrods arranged in pairs journalledon said bosses and pivotally connectedwith the pontoons, bearings supported by saidreach rods, shaftsjournalled in the *bearings on said reach rods each having a worm gearat one end to mesh with the worms on the paddle wheel shaft, gears onthe opposite ends of said shafts, a shaft mounted in the first namedbearings, worm gears mounted on said shaft to mesh with the last namedworms, gears having pawl and ratchet mechanisms between them and theworm gear whereby one of said gears will be r0 tated when the worm gearis revolved in one direction and the other of said gears rotated whenthe worm gear is revolved in the opposite direction, and means includingratchets and pawls to constantly rotate a shaft in one direction. I

2. A current motor comprising, in combination, a pair of spacedpontoons, bear ings carried by the pontoons, a shaft journalled in saidbearings, a paddle wheel fixed to said shaft, a worm on each end of saidshaft, bearings located at a distance from the pontoons, reach rodsarranged in pairs and pivotally connected with the last named bearingsand said pontoons, other bearings carried by the reach rods, shaftsjournalled in the bearings of said reachrods and each having a worm gearatone end to mesh with the worms on the paddle wheel shaft, worms ontheopposite-ends of said shafts, a horizontal shaft journalled in thebearings which are located at a distance fromthe pontoons, worm gearsmounted on the last named shaft to mesh with the last named worm,ratchet wheels fixed to the horizontal shaft, pawls carried by the lastnamed worm gears for coaction with the ratchet wheels whereby the horizontal shaft will be revolved in one direction, a driven shaft, trainsof gears for transmitting motion from the horizontal shaft to saiddriven shaft, other trains of gears for transmitting motion to thedriven shaft, said last named trains of gears including ratchet wheelsand other pawls carried by the last mentioned worm gears fortransmitting imotion therefrom to said last named trains of gears.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature. 5

-,-JOHN 'rYnrNes.

